IA Goodwill® Celebrates 85 Years of Serving Thanksgiving Dinner to Community

Three hundred and fifty pounds of turkey, 200 pounds of potatoes and 1,000 dinner rolls were some of the items on the menu this year when Goodwill Industries Wall Street Mission served Thanksgiving dinner to its local community for the 85th year. The Sioux City Goodwill held its first annual dinner in 1891 to celebrate the agency’s community impact and raise public awareness about Goodwill programs and services.

More than 100 volunteers showed up to help at the event, which fed more than 1,000 community members this year.

“It’s open to the public. It doesn’t matter what your economic status is. If somebody is in need of some fellowship, this is the place you want to be,” said Sonny Kellen, the agency’s VP of product development and public relations.

Station KCAU-TV profiled June Stowe and her family, who have attended the Goodwill Thanksgiving dinner for the past nine years. Stowe sits down to the table with her mother, brother, sister, son and nephew each year.

“Our Thanksgiving at home is smaller, and we don’t have as much. When you’re on a tight budget, it really helps out to have extra food and be able to save some money for Christmas,” she said.

The event has also become an annual tradition for the community members who volunteer at the event.

“Me and my wife have been doing it for 17 years. It just gives you a good feeling helping people,” said Donald Parrott, a volunteer with the Washta United Methodist Church in Washta, IA.

Jenni B. Baker
Jenni B. Baker was a member of Goodwill Industries International’s digital team from 2009-2016. In her role, she supported content strategy and development for Goodwill’s digital properties, including Goodwill’s public blog and email newsletters.